CHICAGO — Jonathan Shenkin, D.D.S., M.P.H., has been selected for a Fulbright Specialist Program grant in public/global health at Belarusian State Medical University. The Fulbright Specialist Program promotes linkages between U.S. scholars and professionals and their counterparts at host institutions oversees.

Dr. Shenkin will travel to Belarus this spring for two weeks and help develop strategies and curriculum for Belarusian State dental faculty on how to train local pediatricians about the oral health of young children ages six months to 3 years.

"Belarus has a state-funded dental system where all care for children is provided in clinics for free," Dr. Shenkin said. "I hope this project bridges a common divide between dentists and physicians that exists worldwide."

"Dr. Shenkin is the first ADA board member to receive this honor, and we are very proud of him for sharing his knowledge and expertise with the physicians, dentists and people of Belarus," said ADA President Maxine Feinberg. "This prestigious honor demonstrates Dr. Shenkin's ongoing global commitment to improving the oral health not just in America but in the world."

Dr. Shenkin is a clinical associate professor of health policy, health services research and pediatric dentistry at Boston University and a pediatric dentist in Augusta, Maine. He also serves as the vice president of the American Dental Association. Dr. Shenkin is also a past president of the Maine Dental Association and served as the chair of the Maine Dental Association’s Political Action Committee.

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The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 161,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website MouthHealthy.org